Mounting base for a portion of a ski binding



Dec. 24, 1968 A. WELKER 3,418,004

MOUNTING BASE FOR A PORTION OF A SKI BINDING Filed Dec. 2. 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l A. WELKER 3,413,004

MOUNTING BASE FOR A PORTION OF A SKI BINDING Dec. 24, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 2, 1966' United States Patent 3,418,004 MOUNTING BASE FOR A PORTION OF A SKI BINDING Arthur Welker, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to A. Attenhofer A.G., Zurich, Switzerland Filed Dec. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 598,729 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 7, 1965, 16,860/ 65 4 Claims. (Cl. 28011.35)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A longitudinally slidably adjustable plate carrying a part of a boot engaging ski binding is provided along its downwardly directed longitudinal edges with oblique serrations adapted to slide freely along oppositely disposed serrations on a base plate fixed to the ski. By inserting an intermediate plate between said slidably adjustable plate and said base plate the slidably adjustable plate is raised from the base plate thereby causing a locking engagement between the serrations on said two plates and a locking of the slidable plate in a selected position to the base plate.

The invention relates to a mounting base for a portion of a ski binding.

Cable free two-piece ski bindings are known whose two pieces, namely a forward support jaw for the toe of the boot and a rearward holding piece for the heel, are mounted separately on the ski. This mounting has to be done under careful consideration of the size of the ski boot and this is connected with several disadvantages which will be enumerated below.

It is the object of the invention to overcome these disadvantages. The mounting base according to the invention is distinguished by a base plate to be attached to the ski and a slidable adjusting plate to which a portion of the two-piece ski binding is attached. Each one of these plates is provided with at least one serration extending along opposed longitudinal edges, whereby these two opposed serrations are capable of being caused to mesh with each other in different positions of the adjusting plate with reference to the base plate, and means are provided to secure them in this position.

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a ski binding equipped with a mounting base constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the rearward portion of the ski binding firmly fastened to a mounting plate in an enlarged scale and along the broken line III III of FIG. 4;

FiG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 with small sections broken away;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line VV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of a mounting base attached to the forward part of the ski;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodirnent of the invention along the line VII-VII of FIG. 8 of a mounting base for a portion of a ski binding;

FIG. 8 is a top view of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along the line IXIX of FIG. 8.

Referring to the FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawing, a base plate 1 serves for mounting a rear portion 2 of a ski bindin g which firmly holds the heel A of the ski boot S on the ski 3. For this purpose the ski binding portion 2 is pro- 3,418,004 Patented Dec. 24, 1968 vided for example with a pressure roller 4 which engages a rearwardly projecting portion of the heel A when a tensioning handle 5 is moved into its closed position (FIG. 1). This handle 5 is pivotal about an axis 6 in a bearing bracket 7 which is firmly fastened to an adjusting plate 8, for instance by screws 9 which extend through slots in the flat extension 7a of the bracket. The latter also has on its base a semi-spherical elevation 10 which receives the capshaped end face of a short stud 12 firmly connected by a nut 11. In engagement with the nut 11 is a threaded spindle 13 the upper end of which is threaded into an arm 13a whose upper end is traversed by a bearing pin 14. Pivotally mounted on the pin 14 is one end of a lever 15 carrying at its other end the roller 4. The bearing pin 14 further supports pivotally the upper end of a rod 16 the lower end of which is axially freely movable in a cross bar 17. The cross bar 17 is movably mounted on a pin traversing the handle 5. A tension spring 18 abuts with one end the cross bar 17 and with its other end engages a stop 19 on the rod 16. The FIGS. 1 and 3 clearly show that by a clockwise movement of the tensioning handle 5 the pin 20 swings arcuately around the axis 6 and thereby causes the presser roller 4 to move away from the ski boot which is set free and the ski 3 can be removed.

In such ski bindings the toe of the boot is held by a forward support jaw which usually is provided with a safety device, whereby the boot without using a cable is held in this support jaw merely in that the rear portion 2 mounted on the rear portion of the ski urges the heel not only downward against the ski, but at the same time urges the heel also forwardly. In mounting such ski bindings it is necessary to adjust the distance between the rear holding portion 2 and the support jaw B exactly to the length of the ski boot S. Therefore it is not possible to mount the binding already in the manufacturing plant but the mounting can be done only after the ski has been sold and it is sometimes difficult to find store personnel capable of properly mounting the binding. If the user buys another pair of boots or someone else wants to use the ski, another cumbersome mounting job is called for in order to readjust the binding on the ski.

To avoid these disadvantages the mounting base 1 is constructed as illustrated in the FIGS. 1 to 5. The adjusting plate 8 is slidably adjustably mounted on a base plate 23 which in turn is fixedly connected by screws 22 to the ski 3 in the manufacturing plant. The two longitudinal edges 24 of the base plate 23 are each provided with a serration the individual teeth of which diverge in an obligue upward direction, as shown in FIG. 5. Over these longitudinal edges 24 extend downwardly directed marginal portions 26 of the adjusting plate 8. The inner edges of the marginal portions 26 facing the edges 24 of the plate 23 are also provided with serrations similar to the serrations 25 and they are also chamfered. When the adjusting plate 8 is placed on the base plate 23, the two mentioned serrations do not mesh since the edges of the marginal portion 26 facing the longitudinal edges 24 are spaced 2 distance from the same which is little more than the height of the serrations. Therefore, the adjusting plate 8 can easily be slidably displaced on the base plate 23. This means that the adjusting plate 8 in combination with the holding portion 2 thereon is capable of being adjusted to any shoe size without requiring an expert for making such an adjustment.

As soon as the holding portion 2 including its pressure roller 4 are in a proper position, an intermediate plate 30 of a carefully selected thickness is slidably inserted between the base plate 23 and the adjusting plate 8. This causes a raising of the adjusting plate 8 from the base plate 23 and its serrations come into meshing engagement with those of the base plate 23 which has the result that the adjusting plate 8 is now solidly locked in position. The intermediary plate is retained in position by friction but may be removed by means of a handle 31 attached to it when the adjusting plate 8 is to be readjusted. In actual use the handle 31 is arranged as closely as possible to the bearing bracket 7 and for this purpose a semi-circular recess 32 is provided in the rear edge of the plate 8.

It is, of course, also possible to connect the bearing bracket 7 rigidly to the ski and to mount the forward toe support B to an adjusting plate 8a, as shown in FIG. 6. Also in this embodiment the adjusting plate is secured to a base plate by means of an intermediary plate, as described in the foregoing in connection with the rearward piece of the ski binding.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the FIGS. 7 to 9. On a base plate 34 attached by screws 35 to the ski 3 is placed an adjusting plate 36 on which is mounted the rearward holding portion 2. The adjusting plate 36 is composed of two rectangular sheet metal pieces 36 and 36 placed one on top of the other and being secured together for instance by means of spot welds. The upper sheet metal piece 36 has a serration 37 along its two longitudinal edges, while the lower sheet metal piece 36 has smooth longitudinal edges 38 extending somewhat beyond the serration 37.

The base plate 34 has longitudinal margins 39 which are parallel to each other and are twice bent about an angle of 90 to form inwardly open channels. These margins extend almost over the entire length of the plate 34 and their edges are provided with serrations 40. The teeth and the gaps therebetween of the serrations 37 and 40 are of the same size so that the teeth of one serrate edge may engage the gaps of the other serrate edge. The space a (see FIG. 9) between the serrations 40 and the base plate 34 is equal to twice the thickness d of the adjusting plate 36, and the width of the bottom sheet metal piece 36 is equal to the distance between the two upwardly directed portions of the longitudinal margins 39; consequently, the adjusting plate 36 is displaceable on the base plate 34, when it is placed directly on it, and it is guided by the longitudinal margins 39.

In the illustrated position of the mounting base 1, a slidable intermediary plate 41 is inserted between the base plate 34 and the adjusting plate 36. The plate 41 is provided at its rear end with an upwardly bent lug 42 serving as a handle. The intermediary plate 41 keeps the adjusting plate 36 at such a distance from the base plate 34 that its serrations 37 mesh with the serrations 40 while the smooth longitudinal edges of the lower metal piece 36 engage the serrations 40.

When the intermediary plate 41 by means of the handle 42 is pulled out of its position between the adjusting plate 36 and the base plate 34 into the direction of the arrow 43, the adjusting plate 36 comes to lie on top of the base plate 34 and is now ready to be slidably displaced in any desired way, as described in the foregoing. If the adjusting plate 36 is raised so that the serrations 37 and 40 engage each other at a different place, it is again possible to insert the intermediary plate 41 whereby the adjusting plate 36 again is locked in its new position. It is apparent that in this simple manner the position of the adjusting plate 36 and therewith that of the boot holding portion 2 mounted on the adjusting plate 36 can be effortlessly adjusted to the length of any ski boot used at a time. Consequently, the entire ski binding or at least the mounting 4 base 1 can be mounted to the ski already in the manufacturing plant.

It is obvious that the adjusting plate 36 need not be composed necessarily of two pieces of sheet metal 36 and 36 but may also consist of a single piece made, for instance, by die-casting.

What I claim is:

1. A mounting base for a part of a ski binding, including a base plate for attachment to the ski and an adjustment plate to which said part is attached, said adjustment plate mounted for limited vertical movement relative to said base plate, said base plate and said adjustment plate having each two longitudinal parallel edges each provided with serrations thereon, the serrations on said two plates being adapted to mesh with each other in different positions of said adjusting plate with reference to said base plate, and an intermediary plate insertable between said two plates for causing said serrations on said two plates to mesh with each other and thereby lock said adjusting plate to said base plate in the position to which said adjusting plate has been adjusted.

2. A mounting base according to claim 1, in which the serrations on said longitudinal parallel edges of said base plate are chamfered while said adjusting plate is provided with parallel marginal portions extending downward over said longitudinal edges of said base plate, the serrations of said adjusting plate being arranged on the inwardly facing edges of said marginal portions so as to face the serrations on the longitudinal edges of said base plate, the insertion of said intermediary plate efiecting a raising of said adjusting plate and therewith causing an engagement of the serrations of the latter with those of said base plate.

3. A mounting base according to claim 1, in which said base plate has two parallel longitudinal margins which are bent twice to form an inwardly open channel and the serrations are provided on said margins, said channel serving as a guide for said adjusting plate when the latter is placed upon said base plate, said adjusting plate being disposed with its edges in said channel and being provided along its longitudinal edges with two steps, of which one is formed with said serrations while the other one has a smooth edge extending beyond said serrations, said intermediary plate when inserted between said adjusting plate and said base plate causing said adjusting plate to be raised such a distance from said base plate that its serrations are caused to engage with those on the twice bent longitudinal margins of said base plate.

4. A mounting base according to claim 3, in which said adjusting plate is composed of two pieces of sheet metal fixedly secured one on top of the other and of which the top piece is provided with serrations and the bottom piece has smooth edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,189,362 6/1965 Weberling 280-11.35 3,219,359 11/1965 Schneider 28011.35

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,299,447 6/ 1962 France. 1,307,982 9/1962 France.

354,704 6/ 1961 Switzerland.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. JOHN A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner. 

